


New Life

by worthmorethanrubies25



Series: Forever and Always [3]
Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eggs? What eggs?, F/M, Family, Fluff, Grey(ish) Branch, Humor, Light Angst, Married Couple, Pre-Movies, Pregnancy, Romance, Secret Relationship, Trolls don’t come from eggs in this, newlyweds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28174977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worthmorethanrubies25/pseuds/worthmorethanrubies25
Summary: Poppy and Branch’s first morning as a married couple.
Relationships: Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Series: Forever and Always [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979968
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	New Life

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to update; I’ve been struggling with writer’s block, work, stress, and Holiday craziness. I’m so glad to be back.
> 
> This story takes place the morning after my fic “Marriage Braids.”
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I DO NOT own “Trolls.”

The first thing Poppy became aware of the next morning was Branch wrapped around her, his face buried in her messy hair and his warm chest against her back.

_**I’m Branch’s wife**_ , she thought, the memories of last night coming to the forefront of her mind.

She yawned and grinned sleepily, gently caressing her husband’s hands with her fingertips. At the touch, Branch murmured incoherently and tightened his hold on her. Poppy bit her lip to keep from giggling. She shifted slightly and turned her head to get a better look at him. Poppy had never seen Branch sleeping before; he looked so peaceful she didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

But she was dying for a shower, so she carefully freed herself from her husband’s limbs and the tangled sheets, grimacing at the soreness she felt. She silently exhaled in relief when Branch stayed asleep. Shivering and realizing she forgot her robe when she had packed her overnight bag, she grabbed Branch’s robe off its peg and tiptoed to the bathroom.

No sooner had she closed the door when she was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. She stumbled against the counter and leaned on it until the bathroom stopped spinning and tilting. Once the dizzy spell passed, Poppy shook her head, her marriage braid tapping her cheek.

“Huh, that was weird,” she muttered.

Oh, well; she was fine now, so she shrugged it off and turned on the shower. As the hot water warmed her body, she softly began to sing.

“ _See the summer’s light_

_Round with rays so bright_

_Fading out of sight_

_Melting into night_

_Hold me unto you_

_No one but you_

_No one but you_

_Hold me unto you_

_No one but you_

_No one but you_ ” 

Unknown to her, her husband woke up to the sound of her voice. Branch smiled to himself; the song had originally been a poem he wrote for Poppy’s last birthday, and she surprised him on **_his_** birthday by putting it to music.

He rolled onto his back, one arm behind his head. With his free hand, he held his black-and-pink marriage braid up so he could see it. It hadn’t been a dream. Poppy really did marry him. Grey, grumpy, reclusive, paranoid **_him_**. It was nothing short of a miracle, considering all the suitors Poppy had, especially Creek. Branch closed his eyes, wondering what he did right in his life to deserve being blessed in such a way.

After a moment, he sighed as he pushed aside the covers. As tempted as he was to stay in bed all day, he knew he had to get up to check the weather outside and make breakfast for the two of them. He couldn’t find his green bathrobe - making him assume Poppy hijacked it - so he just threw on a pair a shorts and left the bedroom door open so he could continue listening to his wife.

” _All the world is dear_

_When my love is lying near_

_Oh, to linger here_

_Far from all I fear_

_Hold me unto you_

_No one but you_

_No one but you_

_Hold me unto you_

_No one but you_

_No one but you_ ” 

The further Poppy got into the song, the more she forgot to keep her voice down and sang a little louder with the next lyrics.

“ _Love is like sailing by moonlight_

_Reading the stars, navigating by night_

_I know tomorrow I’ll be closer to you_

_You are the one that I want_

_No one but you_ ” 

Poppy winced when she scrubbed her chest. **_Hey, what gives?_** Her breasts didn’t hurt like this yesterday. The dress she wore hadn’t been that tight, and she didn’t think Branch was the cause of it either, since he had been so breathlessly gentle with her the night before...

Her train of thought was cut off when her nose twitched; something smelled delicious, like strawberries and pancakes and coffee and melted chocolate.

Swallowing the saliva flooding her mouth, Poppy rinsed the soap from her hair and body as she finished the song.

” _See the morning light_

_Round with rays so bright_

_Waking from the night_

_Brilliant is the sight_

_So, hold me unto you_

_No one but you_

_No one but you_

_So, hold me unto you_

_No one but you_

_No one but you_ ” 

Poppy continued to hum as she stepped from the shower. After drying off, she donned Branch’s bathrobe and used the sleeve to wipe the steam off the mirror.

She studied her reflection, looking for anything that might reveal what she and Branch had done. There was her pink-and-black marriage braid, of course, and she was glowing with more joy than ever. The villagers wouldn’t give a second thought about her happiness, since she was always happy. And she could tuck her marriage braid into her hair so no one could see it.

She took another glance at her marriage braid, then did a double-take. She peered closer at the braid; when the light hit the black hair in it, it gave off a dark bluish-purple sheen. So, Branch **_was_** a shade less grey. The villagers might notice **_that_**.

It wasn’t like she was ashamed of her relationship with Branch, much the opposite. Poppy just wanted to protect him; she had quite a few suitors that fought over her all the time, in spite of her clearly hinting she wasn’t interested in them. She would never forgive herself if any of them hurt Branch because of her.

Still, even when they started dating well over a year ago, they both knew they couldn’t keep their love a secret forever. And now that they were married, they should at least tell her father and friends.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of one friend in particular. For some reason, out of everyone in the Village, Creek’s reaction was the one she dreaded most.

Her stomach lurched again, and she barely made it to the toilet before she vomited. When she was done, she flushed and scooted backwards to sit against the wall. Sheesh! First she was dizzy, then there was the tightness in her breasts, then she suddenly developed a supertroll sense of smell, and now she just threw up? Poppy huffed, thinking how unfair it was to be sick on her first morning as a married-

_**Wait a minute!**_

After going over her symptoms again, Poppy let out a breathless laugh and slid a hand over her lower belly.

_**Wow, I’ve only been with my new husband one night, and already I’m pregnant with his child?! EEEEE!!! Will the baby be a boy or a girl? Will they look more like Branch or me? Hair, no matter who they look like I know everyone’s gonna love...**_

Her joyful smile faded into a frown; now they **_definitely_** had to tell the Village. She was carrying the next royal heir, and pregnant Trolls carried their babies for only nine weeks, so the sooner the better. Also, she and Branch never talked about having kids before. Did...did Branch even want children?

Poppy sighed as she pushed herself onto her feet, not wanting to overthink it. Only one way to find out, right?

She brushed her teeth, washing the vomit taste out of her mouth, before wandering to the kitchen. She found her grey husband wearing only a pair of shorts, drinking coffee and pouring batter onto a griddle. On the counter next to him sat two plates already stacked with chocolate chip pancakes drizzled with strawberry syrup.

Poppy’s nose was spot on; she was pregnant, alright.

She smiled, resisting the urge to blurt out, _**Hey, guess what, honey? I got knocked up last night!**_ No, this wasn’t the kind of news to just drop on Branch. She had to work up to it.

She waited until his hands were free, then she threw her arms around his waist and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

“Good morning, my handsome husband!”

Branch chuckled and returned Poppy’s hug.

“Good morning, my beautiful wife.”

Poppy sighed blissfully and draped her arms over his broad shoulders. As Branch leaned down to kiss her, Poppy felt the desire from the night before resurfacing. Flashing him a playful grin, she shoved him against the nearest wall and devoured his lips.

They kissed for several long, heated moments before a strong scent made Poppy pull away.

“Is something burning?”

Branch’s eyes bugged out; he set Poppy back on her feet and dashed to the griddle to turn it off and scrape the smoking black pancakes off of it.

Poppy coughed, praying she wouldn’t throw up again. “I’m so sorry, honey-“

Branch waved off her apology. “It’s okay, we have plenty.” He winked flirtatiously. “It was worth it.”

Poppy smirked and followed Branch to the table with their food.

“I don’t think anyone will be missing you today,” he said offhandedly, “there’s a huge blizzard going on outside.”

“What?!” Poppy whined. “But the first day of spring is **_tomorrow_**! I had a big party planned and everything; now I have to cancel it!”

Branch smiled in triumph. “Great! No big parties means no Bergens!”

Poppy rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his arm.

“You’re so annoying,” she teased.

“You know you love it,” he teased back.

As they ate, Poppy’s eyes traveled over her husband’s muscular build. It had been difficult to see in the dim bedroom, but in the brighter light of the kitchen, she could tell that Branch’s colors were a little less dull and grey. But only a little. No one would be able to tell unless they knew what they were looking for. If Poppy hadn’t been pregnant, they could’ve hidden their relationship longer.

When Poppy swallowed her last bite of pancake, she decided it was time to steer the conversation in that direction.

“Hey, Branch?”

“Yeah?”

Poppy nervously twirled her marriage braid around her finger. “Um...have you given much thought about telling everyone? ...You know...about... ** _us_**?”

Branch reached across the table and took her hand in his.

“Of course I have. I know you’re worried about your other suitors, but since we’re married now, I seriously doubt they can do anything to either of us.”

He sighed and ran his thumb over her knuckles.

“But to be honest, I want to wait just a little longer; I’m not exactly ready to face the Village and announce that I eloped the princess.”

Poppy nodded. “Okay. So, how much longer are you thinking?”

Branch shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe a few weeks, at the most.”

Poppy’s face fell. A few weeks? She would be showing by then, if not giving birth.

“That long?”

Branch, worried at his wife’s change in demeanor, pushed himself from the table and knelt next to Poppy’s chair.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Poppy shifted in her seat to face him. Well, this was it. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

“Poppy?”

_**Just breathe, Poppy. You can do this.**_

“Branch...last night...” she paused, her expression becoming hopeful as she guided Branch’s hands to her belly. “...we made a child.”

Branch’s face was unreadable as he absorbed her news. As the silence between them stretched longer, Poppy’s eyes welled with tears. Before she could break down into a sobbing mess, Branch suddenly wrapped his arms around her and leaned his cheek against her abdomen. It wasn’t until she heard him sigh and sniffle did she realize **_he_** was crying.

“Branch?” Poppy tried not to panic as she tilted his head back to look at him. “Branch, are you- **_mph_**!”

Branch pressed his lips firmly to hers, causing her fears to vanish. When they pulled apart, Branch’s colors were now noticeably brighter, though still mostly grey.

“Branch?”

He touched his forehead to hers.

“I-I’m sorry Poppy. I just...I just...” He let out a shaky breath. “After my grandma died, I thought I would never, ever have a real family again.”

He smiled, his hands sliding underneath the bathrobe to rest over Poppy’s womb.

“I love you so, so much, Princess Poppy, and I already love our little Trolling. I promise, nothing bad will happen to either one of you. Not as long as I’m alive.”

Now it was Poppy’s turn to have tears of joy stream down her face.

“Oh, Branch,” she whispered as she pulled him in for another kiss. “I love you, too. We both do.”

They both beamed through their tears as they continued to kiss. Of course, this meant they had to make their marriage public sooner, but they could talk about that later.

As their kissing grew in intensity, Poppy wrapped her arms and legs around her husband. Branch stood, lifting up his wife, and carried her back to their bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> The song in this fic is called “No One But You” by Erutan. I do not own it. I’ve been really into Celtic music lately, and I wanted to include it in this series. I’m working on another fic for this series that has a few more Celtic songs.
> 
> This goes with my headcanon that Trolls show signs of pregnancy the morning after *ahem* conception and they carry their babies for nine weeks instead of nine months like humans.
> 
> A really popular Broppy headcanon that I enjoy is Poppy stealing Branch’s clothes, particularly his bathrobe. I couldn’t resist adding it to this story.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated by this author. :-)


End file.
